


Everything and More

by 4ce_in_sp4ce



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, I don't actually speak Italian so I just really hope google didn't lead me too far astray, I'm moderately more confident in the Arabic phrases, Injured Joe, Jaeger Pilots, Love Confessions, M/M, Pacific Rim AU, but like the speed-run version sorta?, excessive use of endearments, in a slightly roundabout way, worried Nicky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4ce_in_sp4ce/pseuds/4ce_in_sp4ce
Summary: A particularly rough battle with a particularly strong kaiju helps put some things that maybe should've been obvious into perspective
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 22
Kudos: 200





	Everything and More

**Author's Note:**

> _Sei pazzo?_ \- are you crazy?  
>  _amore/amore mio_ \- love/my love  
>  _mio caro_ \- my dear  
>  _vita mia_ \- my life  
>  _Sei il mio tutto_ \- you are my everything  
>  _Il mio tutto e di piú_ \- my everything and more  
>  _ya 'abalah_ \- idiot  
>  _habibi/ya habibi_ \- my love/sweetheart (can be romantic or platonic)  
>  _Kunna mumtazin_ \- we did amazing  
>  _ya hayati_ \- my life  
>  _ya ruhi_ \- my soul

The kaiju was _big_. They’d fought category 4s before, but category 5s were a whole different beast. He could feel Joe straining beside him, grunting in pain as the kaiju’s tail slammed into their arm. He tried to swing around and catch the kaiju under its jaw but it was too fast, parrying the attack with a powerful blow that sent the two of them reeling. Andy and Nile better show up soon; Nicky wasn’t sure how much longer he and Joe could hold this thing off by themselves.

_(Nicoló stared distastefully at the man across the table from him, the other man meeting his gaze with equal disdain. He supposed he should probably be paying attention to the briefing, he was here to do a job after all, but of course they’d sat him right next to this asshole. Things between Italy and Tunisia had been…tense since the appearance of the kaiju thanks to their shared waters, and he’d been instructed to avoid the Tunisian pilot as much as possible to avoid any incidents. So naturally they’d been seated together. Perfect. Wonderful introduction to the Jaeger program._

_He glanced back over at the man, who was still watching him distrustfully. He narrowed his eyes in return. Yusuf, he thought. At least that was what it had sounded like Director Copley had said when he’d introduced him. He admittedly still found British accents a little hard to understand. He supposed he’d get used to it though. Eventually.)_

He could feel Joe’s growing exhaustion bleeding through the drift. Or perhaps it was his own exhaustion. It was hard to tell after a while. Everything felt the same in the drift. Was the same.

“Hey Copley, any word on that backup? We could really use some-” Joe’s voice cut off with a grunt as they took another hit from the kaiju’s tail. Nicky could hear the pain in it, and could feel it seeping over. That one had hurt. “…use some help out here.”

“Scythia is being deployed as we speak.” Copley’s voice crackled over the comm link. “Andy and Nile should be at your position soon. Just hold out a little longer.”

“Roger that.”

“Joe, are you…”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Nicky could hear him grinning. “You think we can knock this thing out before Andy gets here and shows us up?”

“ _Sei pazzo_?” Nicky grinned back at him. “Of course we can.”

_(“3-2.”_

_Nicoló allowed himself a small, smug smile. Yusuf was a good fighter and they’d been going toe to toe for the past few minutes, but he was the better fighter. He knew he was._

_Yusuf struck back quickly and brutally, staff flashing towards Nicoló’s face. He parried and swung in retaliation, but Yusuf dodged and moved in relentlessly. Nicoló did his best to push back but after a few seconds he felt a sting as Yusuf’s staff hit his thigh. He gritted his teeth as Yusuf mirrored the smile he’d had less than a minute before._

_“3-3.”)_

Nicky grunted as he tried to keep his grip on the kaiju’s arm. He’d barely caught it in time as it had slashed for their Jaeger’s throat, its claws still scrabbling for purchase. He strained against the sheer force of the creature’s strength. “Joe…”

“On it.” The Jaeger’s other fist slammed against the kaiju’s head, and Nicky let out a small sigh of relief as the strain on his shoulder lessened as the kaiju backed up. “Don’t tell me you’re getting tired already.”

“Course I’m not.” He brought their arm up in just enough time to block another swing from the kaiju’s tail. “Just wanted to see if you could actually contribute something to the fight.”

_(Nothing could prepare you for drifting with another person. Nicoló had been told that over and over again but he’d always thought it was somewhat overblown. It couldn’t be **that** intense._

_The sudden rush of memories and sensations and emotions slammed into him, threatening to overwhelm him for a moment. He let it wash over him as best he could. He could hear his mother’s singing, the merchants from the open air market by their apartment yelling outside, his father’s quiet voice reading to him, mixed with children laughing and yelling in a language he couldn’t quite understand and the pungent smell of spices and foods he had never tried. Don’t follow any of it. Let it wash over you. Let the neural handshake be established._

_It took a minute but the wave of sensations and memories slowly subsided. He moved his arm carefully, the feeling odd. It was like moving normally but somehow…more. Like he had both more and less control over what was happening. It was an startling feeling, but not wholly unpleasant._

_He glanced over at Yusuf. He was staring straight ahead, face focused and determined. “Stay focused, ya ‘abalah. Don’t mess this up.”_

_“Don’t worry about me.” Nicoló looked back ahead. “If anyone messes this up it’s going to be you, not me.”)_

“Crusader, what’s your status?”

“Not great, sir.” The next blow slammed into their chest and Nicky could feel Joe wince. “How far out is Scythia?”

“30 seconds. Hang in there.”

“Copy that. We’re…” He was cut off by the screech of tearing metal and a searing pain in his right arm. He faltered, the pain darkening the edges of his vision momentarily. It felt like his arm had been ripped off and, if the sparks and sudden rush of cold air were anything to go by, it had been.

“Crusader, report! What the fuck is happening?”

Nicky struggled to regain control. He could hear Joe yelling in pain off to his side and looked over wildly. Pain was blooming in his mind and he couldn’t tell how much of it was coming from him and how much was coming from Joe. 

“Crusader!”

He screamed as the kaiju’s tail slammed into them again, feeling like he’d just been punched in an open wound. He reached out for Joe weakly, his arm numb and hard to move as his brain tried to make sense of the conflicting signals about whether or not it was still attached. A second hit sent them crashing down, their remaining arm barely catching them in time to keep the now gaping hole in their Jaeger from being submerged. The force of the impact sent Joe flying though, throwing him out of his harness and slamming him into the wall, and Nicky watched in horror as he felt the drift falter and flicker out.

“YUSUF!”

_(He sat back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Yusuf was watching him from the opposite wall. Nicoló sighed. “You have something to say?”_

_Yusuf shrugged. “No, just thinking. You’re a good fighter.”_

_Nicoló frowned. “Of course I am.” He paused. “You are too.” He meant it too. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Yusuf really was a good fighter. They had somewhat different styles, but he was quick and matched Nicoló’s skill and movements easily. And even their styles were slowly starting to mimic each other; an effect of drifting he supposed._

_Yusuf grinned at him. “Of course I am.”_

_Nicoló rolled his eyes, trying to tamp down on his own grin. “Piss off.”)_

Nicky managed to bring his arm up in time to block the kaiju’s next swing, but he knew he couldn’t keep it up. The pain from the Jaeger’s missing arm made maintaining control difficult to begin with, and the neural load was too great without Joe. He could maybe manage another block or two but that was it. After that they’d be dead in the water.

Panic welled in his chest as he searched desperately for the drift link, for any neural connection to Joe. Something, _anything_ , to let him know Joe was okay. 

“Crusader! Report in! What is your status?”

“We’re not…we took heavy damage, Joe is…I can’t feel him, we’ve lost the neural handshake, I can’t…” He trailed off as he struggled to move his arm again, the strain cutting his words off in his throat. He could feel himself shaking, but whether from exhaustion or fear he couldn’t tell. His mind was still frantically searching for the familiar feeling of Joe’s presence, but all he found was horrifying silence. Through the view screen he could see the kaiju rearing for another attack and he knew he wouldn’t be able to block it in time. If the blow knocked them fully into the water the entire compartment would flood. He might have been able to swim out under normal circumstances, but he knew he was too exhausted to make it if it came to that now. And there was no way he’d be able to get Joe out too. He turned, looking around wildly until he finally saw Joe’s limp form. Fear filled his chest like ice. “Joe? Yusuf? Please say something. Anything. _Please_.”

_(“You’re not half bad at this, Nicky.”_

_Nicoló frowned slightly over his cards at the bastardization of his name. “I told you I’d played before. And the short version of ‘Nicoló’ is ‘Nico’, not ‘Nicky’.”_

_Yusuf shrugged, eyes still fixed on his own cards. “Nicky fits you better.”_

_Nicoló’s frowned deepened. “Fits me better?”_

_“Mhm.” Yusuf nodded. “Better than ‘Nico’ anyways.”_

_He sat back, thinking. “I get to call you Joe then.”_

_Yusuf looked up at that. “Joe? Really?”_

_Nicoló raised an eyebrow. “It’s only fair. You bastardize my name, I bastardize yours.”_

_Yusuf thought about it for a moment before grinning. “‘Joe and Nicky, pilots of the Crusader’. Has a nice ring to it.”_

_“Not bad. But ‘Nicky and Joe’ would flow better.”_

_Yusuf scoffed and turned back to his cards. “You wish.”)_

He looked back out the view screen as the Jaeger shook. Scythia had landed in front of them, blocking the kaiju’s blow. “Looks like we got here just in time.”

Relief flooded through Nicky’s body as Andy’s voice crackled over the comm. “Not a moment too soon. We’re down for the count, so you’re going to have to finish the fight on your own.”

“Not a problem. We’ll try…” Scythia’s fist slammed into the kaiju’s head in two successive blows, pushing it back slightly. “To move this fight away from you so you don’t take any more damage.”

Nicky nodded. “Thank you.” He unclipped his harness and dropped down, stumbling as he landed. He knew this was risky, the fight was still far too close for him to safely not be restrained, but he had to get to Joe. Had to make sure he was alright. He staggered over to the wall, panic and fear quickly overtaking the brief relief Andy and Nile’s appearance had brought. He dropped down by Joe’s side, pulling him gently into his lap. “Yusuf? Yusuf, say something. Anything. Let me know you’re alright, that you’re okay.”

_(Nicky knew he shouldn’t complain about the food. It wasn’t actually that terrible, especially for military food, and he’d definitely had far worse. But the pasta on the tray in front of him was an honest to God tragedy._

_Joe laughed beside him. “It’s not that bad.”_

_He continued staring at the mess in front of him, unable to tear his eyes away. “I’m Italian, Joe. This is an insult to my heritage. To the very existence of pasta itself.”_

_“Tastes fine to me.”_

_Nicky looked up, pained. “Don’t say that. Don’t tell me you actually **believe** that. I don’t think I can handle drifting with someone who thinks **this** is acceptable.”_

_Joe shrugged, taking a bite. “I don’t see the issue. I mean it could certainly use a lot more seasoning, all the food here could, but the pasta itself is fine.”_

_“It’s overcooked! There should still be firmness to it, not…not sogginess. And this,”he pointed at his food emphatically. “Is soggy.”_

_Joe rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Like I said, tastes fine to me. This was how we made it back home.”_

_“I’m going to find actual decent pasta for us sometime, and then you’ll see what I mean. Homemade pasta, too. Store bought can’t compare, even when it’s cooked properly.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Maybe pappardelle ala lepre. My mother would make it for holidays when I was little, and it was always my favourite. It’s time consuming to make, which is why we only had it on special occasions, but the flavour is worth it. Especially with a good wine.”_

_“My mother would make kamouina. Normally she made it with beef, but on holidays she’d make it with lamb, which was always my favourite.” Joe looked over at him, grinning. “You’d love it.”_

_Nicky thought for a moment, the wonderful smells that always drifted out of Joe’s memories during the neural handshaking coming to the forefront of his mind. “How about this, then: I’ll show you what good pasta actually tastes like and you’ll show me what traditional Tunisian stew tastes like.”_

_Joe nodded, his grin growing even wider. "It's a deal.")_

He pulled off Joe’s helmet carefully, not wanting to accidentally hurt him. He was breathing, thank God he was breathing, but his body was limp. “Can you hear me, _amore mio_? Yusuf? _Mio caro_?”

“We have an evac team on their way to you now. Just hold on.” Copley paused, his voice staticy in Nicky’s ear. “Joe’s vitals are strong, he doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger. There are medics with the evac team, they’ll get him to the infirmary.”

Nicky nodded, Copley’s words doing little to dampen his fear. He leaned against the compartment railing, cradling Joe against his chest. He had a sizable cut on his forehead, his skin smeared with blood. “You’re going to be alright, _amore_. You’re going to be fine, I promise. Just hang in there.” He could still hear the sounds of the fight raging outside, thankfully further away now, but he didn’t care. He pulled his glove off and ran his hand gently through Joe’s hair. “Just stay with me.”

_(The rough embrace caught Nicky off guard slightly but he hugged back without hesitation, the adrenaline of the battle still coursing through his veins. Joe pulled back after a moment with a huge grin. “Kunna mumtazin, ya habibi!”_

_Nicky’s Arabic wasn’t great, but he’d learned enough to know what Joe meant. Even if he hadn’t, the look on Joe’s face didn’t make it hard to connect the dots. He grinned back. “We were, weren’t we? Absolutely amazing.” He pressed his forehead against Joe’s, his hands resting on either side of his face. Both of them were still breathing hard and Nicky could feel the mix of excitement and exhaustion radiating from Joe. They were both going to crash hard when the adrenaline wore off, but for now the excitement managed to balance it out just enough. “We make a damn good team.”_

_“Come on, I thought you two supposedly couldn’t stand each other? Break it up or get a room.”_

_Nicky heard Andy laugh. “Let them celebrate, Book. A solo win against a category 4 is a big deal, especially your first one.” She clapped Nicky’s shoulder as she passed. “You guys did good.”_

_Fatigue was already starting to break through the post-battle high. Joe seemed to be feeling it too, leaning in to rest his forehead against Nicky’s shoulder as Nicky pulled back to smile at Andy. “Thanks, boss.”)_

Joe was still laying limply against him when the evac team arrived, several medics pouring into the small compartment and pulling Joe from his arms and onto a stretcher. “We need to go, sir. Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I-I’m fine, I don’t…” Nicky tried to stand but stumbled forward, the medic catching him. He didn’t remember his legs being that shaky.

“It’s alright, sir, I’ve got you. Let’s go.”

He caught a brief glimpse of the fight between Andy and Nile’s Jaeger and the kaiju as the helicopter pulled away. It was only a quick one, but he had seen enough to know it wasn’t going to last much longer. The medic sat him down on one of the benches in the helicopter and began checking him over carefully and methodically. “Are you in any pain? Any injuries that you’re aware of?”

“No, I’m…I’m not…” He looked past the medic to where they’d secured the stretcher, trying to see Joe. “Is he alright? I have to…I have to know he’s alright…”

“My colleagues are taking care of him, sir. Let me take care of you in the meantime and make sure you’re alright.”

Nicky nodded shakily, eyes not leaving the stretcher. “I-I’m okay. I’m not injured, it’s just the adrenaline.” He looked back at the medic, panic starting to build in his chest again. “Please, I’m fine, just let me sit with him, I need to know he’s okay.” The medic hesitated for a moment before nodding and helping him up. The other medics were busy tending to the cut on Joe’s forehead so Nicky grasped his hand, holding onto it tightly. “I’m here, _amore_. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be fine.”

_(Nicky frowned as the noises of the world slowly started to reach him again. Had he fallen asleep? He lifted his head slightly from whatever it had been resting on. The hangar was far emptier and quieter than he remembered. Just how long had he been out?_

_“You should start going to bed earlier. You passed out almost as soon as we sat down.”_

_Nicky looked over. Joe. He must’ve fallen asleep against Joe. “‘M fine. Just dozed a bit by accident.”_

_Joe raised an eyebrow, watching Nicky with amusement. “You’ve been out for over an hour, habibi. That’s a little more than a simple doze.” Nicky blinked slowly, trying to process the information. Joe smiled and shifted slightly, tilting his shoulder towards Nicky. “Go back to sleep. You look like you could use it, and it’ll be a little while before I’m done going through the briefings and reports Copley sent us.”_

_Nicky nodded and rested his head back against Joe’s shoulder, humming happily when Joe’s fingers started gently playing with his hair. “Just a short doze this time, I promise.”_

_“Right, right,” Joe chuckled softly. “Go to sleep, habibi.”)_

Joe opened his eyes slowly. The fluorescent lights made it hard to focus at first, the harsh brightness drowning everything else out, but after a moment things started to come back into focus. He felt terrible. Like he’d been hit with a truck, and then some. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened. He and Nicky had been fighting the kaiju, waiting for Andy and Nile to arrive, but it had been stronger than they’d thought. Their Jaeger had been damaged, he could remember searing pain, the next blow sending him flying, and then…nothing. Everything was blank after that. He must have lost consciousness.

A steady weight on his arm gradually drew his attention. He turned to look slowly, smiling when he saw Nicky’s head resting against his arm, asleep. He was still in his suit from the Jaeger and looked about as terrible as Joe felt. He brought his hand up to Nicky’s face, fingers brushing against his cheek.

Nicky’s eyes flew open at the touch and he sat up quickly, his gaze darting wildly until it fell back on Joe. The look of relief on his face made Joe’s heart want to melt. “You’re awake, oh thank God you’re awake, I was so worried. I thought I’d lost you, _vita mia_ , I felt the drift break and I thought you were gone, I was so afraid you were…”

“Nicky. _Nicoló_. Look at me.” He reached up and cupped Nicky’s face gently. Nicky leaned into the touch, covering Joe’s hand with his own. “I’m fine, _ya hayati_ , I’m here. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“ _Sei il mio tutto, Yusuf. Il mio tutto e di piú._ ” Nicky’s voice broke slightly on the last word and Joe could see the tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

“Nicoló, _ya ruhi_ …” Joe pulled Nicky in, warmth blooming in his chest as he kissed him softly. “You won’t. I’m not going anywhere, _habibi_ , I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> romantic gays + monsters + giant robots? how could I possible resist that combo?? also I don't know what it is about these two that makes me want to use a truly ridiculous amount of endearments, but some instinctual part of my brain just goes BUCK WILD every time. trying out a slightly different writing style, so hopefully it was a success


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